“Weren’t you desperate for sponsors? Why the long face?” Jaden asked, eyeing her sideways as they cleaned up after dinner.Selena leaned on the kitchen counter, arms crossed. Her brows were drawn tight, and her lips pressed into a thin line. “That’s the thing. I didn’t even approach them. So why are they suddenly chasing me down?”Jaden narrowed his eyes. “You think something’s off.”“Obviously.” She looked away, annoyed. “And to make things worse, it’s Jones Morello.”His name landed like a slap in the silence.Jaden didn’t utter a word. “Hmm?”Selena exhaled, nodding. “I will be generous if I called him shady. The guy’s a predator. Everyone in the industry knows it. Most women wouldn’t go near him unless they were out of options.”“You’re still going?” Jaden asked, voice low.She hesitated. “I don’t want to. But this project—if it fails, a lot of people get hurt. I have to at least hear him out.”“Then I’m driving you.” His tone left no room for argument.Selena glanced at him. Ther

Selena had already caught the subtle shift in Jones Morello’s eyes. His hand started moving toward her waist, slow and sleazy. She was half a second from stepping out of reach—ready to sidestep his filthy grab—when Jaden moved first.He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t make a scene. Just reached out, caught Morello’s wrist mid-air, and redirected it into a handshake.The move was clean. Selena blinked. She wasn’t expecting that. For once, it wasn’t her doing the dodging. It wasn’t her saving herself.She looked at Jaden, her mouth slightly open. “This is Jaden Rift,” she said, eyes locked on Morello. “My husband.”The temperature in the room shifted.Jones Morello narrowed his eyes at the man who’d just ruined his little moment of power-play. His smile returned—but it was tighter now, barely masking the contempt. “Husband?” he echoed, voice thick with disbelief. “And what is it that you do, Mr. Rift?”Jaden didn’t miss a beat. “I protect the country.”Silence. Just long enough for the

Selena could feel the heat rising between the men, the unspoken war hanging heavy in the air. The table was filled with silence and smug glances, and she decided to cut through the bullshit before it got worse."Let’s drink," she said abruptly.She raised her glass, her hand steady despite the storm behind her eyes, and downed the wine in one clean motion. No swirling, no savoring. Just a straight shot like it was cheap liquor, not some million-dollar vintage. A quiet message: she wasn’t here to be impressed by price tags.Jones Morello chuckled, a slow, condescending sound, and lifted his glass with a smug tilt of his head. "To bold women," he said. Talon and Elizabeth followed suit, raising their glasses like they were part of some elite club. But Jones didn’t drink right away. His eyes flicked over to Jaden, and the smirk on his face turned razor-sharp."Let me guess," he said lazily, swirling the wine as if it were worth its weight in gold. "You’ve never had a wine this refined in

The Verrick couple sat stiffly at the edge of the velvet-cushioned chairs, tension carved into their features as the atmosphere in the room thickened like smoke. The smug expression that had once danced on their faces now faltered, replaced with unease. This wasn’t how they pictured the night going.Selena’s manicured fingers clutched the hem of her dress as her eyes darted between her husband and the storm that was Jaden. She hadn’t expected him to step up, much less take a swing at Jones Morello’s ego in public.A bet? With Jones?What the hell was he thinking?Her breathing quickened as the realization hit. It was too late to pull him back now. The beast had been provoked.She reached out and grabbed Jaden’s wrist tightly, her voice low and trembling. “What are you doing? That man could crush us. You think challenging his wine is worth dying over?”Jaden didn't pay attention to her words. His jaw was set, cold eyes focused straight ahead as if he hadn’t heard her. But he did. He ju

Lee Brooks slammed his hand on the table, the glass rattling. “You ignorant brat! How dare you insinuate I don’t know my wine!” His face was flushed, veins bulging in his neck like they were ready to burst. “I’ve spent three decades refining this palate—judging international vintages blindfolded while you were still in diapers!”Jaden rolled his eyes, then stayed locked on Brooks with a cold smirk, like he was watching a child throw a tantrum over spilled juice.Jones Morello groaned and waved a hand, clearly done with the back-and-forth. “Enough of this bullshit.” His tone turned sharp, laced with irritation and ego. “Looks like you’re not gonna concede. Someone get in here and stuff this damn bottle down his throat. I want his teeth stained with that ‘fake wine’ he’s so confident about.”But right as his words echoed through the room, the double doors slammed open with a bang.The entire room jerked their heads toward the entrance.A group stormed in, the tension in the room snappin